Album Review

Bilingual rapper Mexicano 777 (who is actually Puerto Rican), finally resurfaces. His last record, God's Assassins was released in 2001 on his own Roof Records. Pa' la Kalle was issued by Universal Latino in conjunction with Roof. The bottom line in this is that Mexicano 777 is pure bad-ass Latin gangsta hip-hop. Here the stylings of Jamaican dancehall, the slippery son melodies, and the burned-up salsa rhythms are set against the turntables and samples and wound in layers around Mexicano 777's big, gritty, from-the-alley-voice. Check the hardcore "Madre No Liores with Ivy Queen." A simple guitar sample is played over a bed of strings and the rhythms are pure Caribbean; the rapping, at a-hundred-miles-an-hour — bring on the ragga folks — is ultimately disorienting and vulgar and utterly irresistible. The proceeding cut follows up with a sweeter rap but in English, Mexicano is indignant, pissed-off, and full of rage and hurt. Vulnerability and aggression juxtapose well with the strings splitting the rhythm track, while the skitter-scatter of drum machines over a single classical guitar line is hypnotic. The rapper acted as executive producer and worked with producer/engineer Alex Arias on this album. This is hardcore, underground Latin rap brought to the light of a nighttime street corner; it is disturbing, beguiling, and very fine indeed.

Biography

Genre: Latino

Years Active: '00s

Puerto Rican Mexicano 777 became involved in the Latin hip-hop scene during the 1990s, achieving a local award for Rap Artist of the Year after issuing a song called "Se Testigo," making his international debut with "Razor Sharp," and releasing his debut album called Entre El Bien y El Mal in September 1998, which featured the hit single "Hagan Ruido Las Pistolas."...